I went to go check out this movie strictly on the trailer alone. I hadn’t really heard too much about it, but the previews looked promising. Add in the fact that it is directed by Spiderman’s Sam Raimi and I was even more excited.  There is just something about the energy of Raimi’s direction that has a distinct flow and pacing to it that I really like. Would Drag me to Hell be the return to horror form that people have been waiting for from Raimi since his Evil Dead series?

The premise of the movie is simple enough. Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an account manager at a bank who reluctantly refuses to grant a foreclosure extension to an old gypsy woman, even after she begs and pleads. As a result, the old gypsy places the curse of the Lamia on Christine, which is a vicious curse that plays out over the course of three days, concluding on the final day with the accursed person being dragged to burn in hell. The movie focuses on Christine trying to avoid the inevitable and somehow beat the curse.

While the plot may be pretty basic, the beauty of this film is in Raimi’s execution. He is a master of setting up a scary scene. Often times in horror films , cheap scares are way too telegraphed to be effective, usually resulting in a completely wasted set up. This is not the case with this film.  Raimi sets you up perfectly then knocks you down. Even when you suspect something is coming, when it finally happens it still manages to catch you off guard. While a few parts of the movie may get into ridiculously gory territory, the film maintains its overall vicious and unrelenting voice.  Despite a few slight distractions, the story maintains its tension and keeps you on the edge of you seat as you can literally feel the days of the curse counting down.

The casting in this film is excellent, most notably Alison Lohman as Christine Brown. You can really see her inner struggle when she has to reject the old woman for her extension.  She is quite convincing as an example of when bad things happen to good people and you can’t help but sympathize for her. Justin Long is good as her supportive boyfriend, however he isn’t given a whole lot to do in this film, but it is still refreshing to see him here.  Lorna Raver is excellent as the old gypsy Sylvia Ganosh.   She strikes that perfect balance between eerie and creepy with horrific results. I had to turn around a few times after the film to double check that she wasn’t behind me.

Drag Me to Hell isn’t exactly the scariest movie I’ve ever seen, but it is definitely one of the most entertaining. There is some serious dark humor in this film along with some legitimate jump out of your seat scares.  For horror fans, this film is definitely worth checking out and is guaranteed to keep you entertained for the entire time.